Voting can we?

Can Canadians vote in elections if they live abroad? If so, how do they register?
Ben

For sure!

I think you just need to register at your nearest embassy.

What I'm not sure though, is if you need to be an official resident. I'm in Hungary right now and would like to vote, though I'm not sure if they'd let me as I'm only here temporarily.

I'm excited about this new election and what will happen. I don't really follow politics much, but the upcoming campaigning should get interesting. I'm very undecided on how I'll vote!

Much simpler!
Go on http://www.elections.ca for all the details.

Great link!

Thanks for sharing that one Deus.

A little known fact: Canadians living in the UK can even vote in UK elections!

There's a municipal-level election coming in May, and they stop adding names to the electoral list a month or two before the voting day (rather archaic over here).... so if you're interested, contact your local council now about signing up. Most council websites have an electoral page with all the details.

C'mon you Monster Raving Looney Party!!! (yes, they do exist!)

the MRL party woman looked weird, walking around dressed as a cowboy with a plastic horse.

I voted in the last big election.

For those Canadians in the UK: Getting on the electoral register is more than just the fun of voting for another country's leader. It will also help you get a British credit card.

I was refused a card a number of months ago, because when they go through the credit check, you don't appear to be a real person. They have no record of you. So, I got on the electoral register, and a few months later, my bank (HSBC - who had originally rejected my request for a card) was telling me I was pre-approved! Good deal!

the easiest way I think is to open a Gold account at Nat West. You open the account and a credit cards comes with it. Simple. I had one within a month of living in the UK

Hey.

I voted in this election.. I can't remember the rules (they're all on the elections canada website) but basically.. once you've registered with them, they send a ballot to you. I'm not sure if it's the same kind of ballot we have in canada though.

I had to go on the internet and find out who was running in my riding (the last place I lived when I was in canada) .. then I went to their various websites and read about them, before finally writing the name of my chosen candadate in the box, sealing it in like 3 envelopes and sending it in. I did all this back at christmas time though.

cheers!

S.

With regards to getting credit in the UK:

It isn't as simple as being on the votor's roll I'm afraid. There are many more factors that are taken into account then whether or not you are on the votor's roll.

Most banks and building societies work on what is called a credit score. This score takes into account many things such as:

- Length of time at your address or previous addresses
- Your age
- Your marital status
- Your salary
- Your job title
etc etc

They also check with either Equifax of Experian who are two of the main credit record agencies in the UK to make sure you haven't had any defaults or CCJs.

Whether you are on the votor's roll or not only makes up a small part of the overall score.

Also, I have worked in finance for over 6 years, mainly in mortgages, and I can tell you that it is a myth that you need to be on the votor's roll to get a mortgage too.